Open-source alternatives to cloud AI agents
If you want an AI agent that does real work but you'd rather not rent a cloud computer for it, here is how Sidemates compares with OpenAI dots, Grok Bot, Meta Muse, Apple's Siri AI, Hermes Desktop, OpenClaw and OpenMausBot — including when you should pick something else.
Last updated 1 October 2026. Details about other products come from their public pages (linked below) and change quickly. If something is out of date, tell us.
The short answer
Sidemates is a free, open-source (MIT) app for macOS that gives you a small team of named AI teammates running on your own Mac. They work in your Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Messages and folders, browse the web in their own private browsers, and ask before anything important. You bring the AI you already have: a ChatGPT, Grok or GitHub Copilot subscription, Claude through the Claude Code you already have installed or an API key, a free Gemini key, a free Nous Portal plan, OpenCode Go, or a model running on your Mac.
Choose it if you want an agent that can use your Mac's apps and files, don't want to pay for or depend on a cloud computer, and want to be asked before it sends, buys or changes anything (or to switch that off for a teammate you trust). Choose something else if you need an agent that keeps working while your computer is off, runs on Windows or Linux, or needs a native phone app — see below.
Side by side
| Sidemates | OpenAI dots | Grok Bot | Meta Muse | Apple Siri AI | Hermes Desktop | OpenClaw | OpenMausBot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your Mac | Its own cloud computer with a virtual browser | A managed cloud computer shared by the teammates | Meta's cloud (a secure VM and browser) | Your Mac, with Apple's cloud for larger requests | Your computer | Your machine or a server | Your computer, with an optional always-on cloud workspace on its paid plan |
| Price | Free software; you pay only your AI (free options exist) | Included with ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium; one dot on Pro | Bundled with $120–300 a month plans | Free, $20 and $100 a month tiers | Free beta with daily usage limits; paid access planned | Free software; optional Nous Portal sign-in | Free software plus your models | Free app; Pro from $49 a month (launch price) for the cloud workspace |
| Works in your Mac's Mail, Calendar, Notes and files | Yes | No (cloud apps through plugins) | No | No | Yes, for quick requests and in-app actions | Files and scripts; no deep Mac app tools that we know of | Through skills you install | App connections (for example Gmail and GitHub) and control of your computer; no local Mail, Calendar or Notes tools that we know of |
| A team of named teammates | Yes, each with its own browser and workspace | One agent per dot | Yes, sharing one computer | One agent | One assistant | Named bots (Bot Mode) | Partly | Yes, a roster of bots, each with its own model and tools |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No | No | No | No | Yes (MIT) | Yes (MIT) | Yes (Apache-2.0, with a separately licensed enterprise folder) |
| Where you use it | macOS 13+ (Apple silicon and Intel); iPhone through a Home Screen app, Siri and the Share menu | Cloud, through ChatGPT | Desktop and iOS | Phone-first | macOS 27 on Apple silicon | macOS, Windows, Linux | Your machine or a server | macOS, Windows, Ubuntu, Android and iOS |
| Good to know | Works while your Mac is on; asks before it sends, buys or changes anything unless you turn on Autopilot | Not offered in the EEA, UK or Switzerland at launch; read-only until you approve | Allow, deny or always-allow for actions | — | English first; beta | Free models with a Nous sign-in, no key needed | Large skill marketplace | Built for people who already use the Claude, Codex or Grok command-line tools |
Detailed comparisons
One page for each of the options people ask about most, with the same honest "choose them if…" lists.
When to choose which
Choose Sidemates if you…
- want an agent that works in your own Mail, Calendar, Notes, Messages and folders ("find the receipt in my Mail and save the PDF", "what did Anna say about the trip?");
- want a team — a researcher, a writer, a checker — each with its own browser, instead of one assistant;
- want to be asked first and shown the exact button or change, or to hand a trusted teammate Autopilot;
- prefer free, open-source software on your own hardware, with the AI of your choice;
- live in a region where cloud agents aren't offered yet.
Choose a cloud agent (OpenAI dots, Grok Bot, Meta Muse) if you…
- need it to keep working while your computer is off — Sidemates works while your Mac is awake (and keeps it awake for scheduled jobs), or on a computer that stays on;
- want everything managed for you with no install, and don't mind your work running on the provider's servers;
- want a native phone app (Sidemates' phone side is a Home Screen web app plus Siri and the Share menu).
Choose Siri AI if you…
- want help that is already built into your Mac for quick questions and in-app actions, with nothing to install. Sidemates works alongside it: "Hey Siri, ask Sidemates" hands longer jobs to your team.
Choose OpenMausBot if you…
- use Windows, Linux or a phone, already work with the Claude, Codex or Grok command-line tools, or want a paid always-on cloud workspace. It is open source and far more widely used than Sidemates today. Sidemates is the simpler choice on a Mac: one-line install, no command-line tools, and it works in your own Mail, Calendar, Notes and Messages.
Choose Hermes Desktop or OpenClaw if you…
- use Windows or Linux, want the widest range of chat-app gateways, or like a terminal-first, highly configurable setup. Sidemates can import a Hermes or OpenClaw profile, so switching is one click.
Try Sidemates
On a Mac (macOS 13 or later), one line installs it. No administrator password; the installer checks the download's fingerprint. Read the installer first if you like.
curl -fsSL https://sidemates.app/install.sh | sh
Then connect an AI (a free Gemini key is enough to start), make your first teammate, or add a ready-made one from the gallery. Source code and docs: github.com/PrisacariuRobert/sidemates.
Questions
What is a free, open-source alternative to OpenAI dots or Grok Bot?
Sidemates is a free, MIT-licensed app for macOS that gives you a team of AI teammates running on your own Mac instead of a rented cloud computer. It works with the AI you already have (ChatGPT, Grok or GitHub Copilot subscriptions, Claude through the Claude Code you already have installed or an API key, a free Gemini key, Nous Portal, OpenCode Go, or a model on your Mac). Check Anthropic's current terms before using a Claude subscription this way.
Is there an AI agent that can use my Mac's Mail, Calendar and Notes?
Yes. Sidemates teammates can read your Apple Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Contacts and Messages and search your chosen folders, and can add reminders, notes and calendar events or save mail attachments after you approve each change. Cloud agents such as OpenAI dots, Grok Bot and Meta Muse run on their own cloud computers and cannot reach these apps on your Mac.
Does Sidemates work on Windows, Linux or iPhone?
Sidemates installs on macOS 13 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. There is no Windows or Linux desktop app yet (a Linux runner exists for an always-on server). On iPhone you pair a Home Screen web app with one scan, and can use Siri and the Share menu through shortcuts. For Windows and Linux, Hermes Desktop is an open-source option.
How much does Sidemates cost?
Sidemates is free, open-source software. You pay only for the AI you connect, and free options exist: a free Google Gemini key or a free Nous Portal plan. Sidemates never adds a fee or resells tokens.
Does my data leave my Mac?
Your teammates, chats, files and the search index of your own notes, mail and messages are stored on your Mac. When a teammate works, the text it needs is sent to the AI provider you chose, under that provider's terms; choose a model running on your Mac to keep everything local.
How does Sidemates compare with OpenMausBot?
Both are open-source teams of AI bots. OpenMausBot is aimed at developers: it runs on the Claude, Codex and Grok command-line tools you already have, and it works on Windows, Linux, Android and iOS as well as macOS. Sidemates is aimed at ordinary Mac users: it installs with one line, needs no command-line tools, and works in your own Mail, Calendar, Notes and Messages. Choose OpenMausBot for Windows, Linux or phone apps, and Sidemates for Mac depth and a simpler setup.
Does Sidemates ask before it acts?
Yes, by default. Reading and searching happen on their own. Sending, buying, signing in, submitting or changing something shows you the exact action and waits for your approval. If you trust a teammate completely you can turn on Autopilot for it, and it will act like a person without asking; that is off until you choose it, and it still stops for sign-ins, CAPTCHAs, more AI spending and saving new instructions.
Sources
- OpenAI dots: Android Headlines, DevDay coverage
- Grok Bot: xAI, overview
- Meta Muse: Meta
- Apple Siri AI: Apple Newsroom, AppleInsider
- OpenMausBot: GitHub, website, pricing
- Hermes Desktop: Nous Research, The Decoder
- Sidemates: source code, changelog, scorecard